The Basics

Now that I've traced the dramatic lead up, I'm sure everyone knows how unbelievably ecstatic I am to finally announce my teaching placement and have plane tickets in my hand (e-mail box)! This is truly truly overdue. 

Where: Ambato, Ecuador. It is starred on the map below. 3-4 hours south of Quito, Ambato is a mid-sized city in the middle of the Ecuadorian highlands, with a population of about 350,000, cool/temperate climate year-round, and high altitude.

When:   October 4 2010- August 4 2011. Yes... I leave in a week.

What: Assisting with English courses at La Universidad Tecnica de Ambato and pursuing ethnographic research on secondary education and the politics of youth/childhood in highland Ecuador. 

How: Well, I'm taking suggestions. The long answer is that I'll go to Quito, attend orientations at the Fulbright Commission and the U.S. Embassy, get a bank account to begin receiving my stipend, go to Ambato, find a place to live (probably alone, in an apartment), try to meet as many people as possible, buy a machete (incredibly useful down there), teach, and take lots of notes. So the short answer is I don't know.

Ambato is Amazing Because: I've never been there, which means there is much to learn. Ambato is also the birthplace of  two of Ecuador's literary greats (Juan Montalvo and Juan Leon Mera), it offers easy access to almost anywhere in Ecuador, and is called la ciudad de frutas y flores --> the city of fruit and flowers, both of which I ordinarily like.